Prince Heather

Heather still couldn't believe she was really gone. She really did seem like she was going to live forever, in spite of her greying hair and wrinkling skin. Looking up, he saw Verka walking into the study.

"How are you feeling, father?" She asked, sitting next to him.

"Still processing this, Verka. To think Rebecca would get a peaceful end. I thought for sure she would go down fighting." Heather replied, looking over at Verka.

"Still, to live to 193." Hamlin added, looking up from his book. "Though I suppose, 118 years as a vampire helped."

"75 is still a respectable age, Hamlin, for a mortal human." Heather said, sighing. "I'm in my 180s now, so who knows how much longer I have left."

"Father..." Verka said, hugging Heather, who returned the hug and smiled.

"I'm worried about Niall though." Heather said. "He isn't acting like someone who's about to be Emperor."

"Yes, he doesn't seem to actually want the throne." Verka said, more quietly now. "Do we have alternate arrangements?"

"Finnigan was the first alternate, but he's always been a sickly child, and now adult. Rebecca privately told me many times that she loved him far too much to even place the burden of a public life on him." Heather said, shaking his head. "Verka, it might have to be you."

"Father, how long would this empire tolerate being ruled over by a rusalki bloodline?" Verka asked. "There would be a civil war in a single generation. It's best neither me nor any of my sisters take the throne. What about Connor?"

"We never planned for Connor to do anything. We were going to give him some Dukedom and let him just putter about like some useless noble. But if Niall won't take up the crown, he'll have to." Heather admitted. "Don't tell the others yet, I still need to talk to Niall privately, father to son. How are your sisters doing?"

"I had to stop Tatiana from eating mother's corpse 4 times already. She wants to know why we're burying good food." Verka answered, amused.

"Because she's already part rusalki from birthing 4 girls." Heather answered. "If we had started on you kids earlier in life, she would have completed the transformation. Remember what Svetlana told you all as kids?"

"We get no nourishment from other rusalki, even partial transformations. I'll let Tatiana know."

"What about Zoya and Lena?"

"Zoya's already drowned 3 people in frustration that didn't get to kill mother herself. Lena hasn't seemed to have reacted at all."

"Lena was always quiet, and tell Zoya she better eat all those people. Thanks for updating me, Verka." Heather said, hugging Verka again.

"Don't be so hard on yourself father. I know mother loved us, even if she didn't show it like a mother should."